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he used ornamented things, and he commanded that he himself be worshipped, contrary to the original custom, and he celebrated a triumph. And a triumph was so named from the 1.471 verses for Dionysus; for they call the madness of poets *thriasis*. Or from *thria*, the leaves of the fig tree dedicated to Dionysus. At that time also the great Sylvester was in charge of the church of the Romans for 28 years.

And while Constantine the son of Constantius was in the East and Palestine with Galerius, since Galerius saw him holding Christian beliefs and advancing in intelligence of soul and strength of body and in aptitude for education, and having divined that this man would be the destroyer of his tyranny and of his doctrines, he plotted to kill him by treachery. But by divine providence he procured his safety by flight and was brought safely to his own father, giving much thanks to Christ with him who saved him. In the 18th year of Diocletian, Galerius, persuaded by Theotecnus the sorcerer, raised up a persecution against the Christians. This Theotecnus, at the suggestion of Maximian, having fabricated the things supposedly done against Christ by Pilate, sent memoirs full of all blasphemy throughout city and village, with Maximian ordering the schoolmasters to teach these things to the children, so that our mystery might be mocked. In the 19th year an imperial edict was given, that the churches of Christ be razed to the ground and the divine books be burned, and that every Christian either sacrifice to idols or die under unbearable tortures. 1.472 In the 20th year of his reign, Diocletian and Maximian Herculius out of madness laid down their imperial power on one day, appointing in their place as emperors Galerius Maximian, the son-in-law of Diocletian, for the East, and Constantius, the son-in-law of Herculius, for the West. And Diocletian, having lived as a private citizen for 12 years, his tongue having putrefied along with his throat and having swarmed with a multitude of worms, breathed his last, while Herculius, wishing to take up the imperial power again and not succeeding, hanged himself. And Galerius, having become eaten by worms, expired. But Constantius, being exceedingly good and pious, educated his son Constantine in like manner, and in no way did he take part in the persecution against us, but he even permitted those under him to practice Christianity fearlessly and without hindrance. And he died in Britain, having reigned for two years. And he was Caesar for 13 years. He fathered by Helen his first wife Constantine the great and holy, near the city of Dacia; whom he also proclaims emperor in his place in Rome in the sight of all the people, while his other children were still living, I mean Constantius the father of Julian and Gallus who was also Dalmatius; with whom he also had a daughter, Constantia, the wife of Licinius, born of Theodora the daughter of Herculius. And this Constantius, the father of the great Constantine, was the grandson of Claudius the emperor. In appearance the great Constantine was of middle age, broader in the shoulders and thick in the neck, for which reason they also nicknamed him 1.473 Trachelas, ruddy in complexion, having hair on his head that was neither thick nor curly, but his beard was somewhat sparse and tended not to grow in many places on his face, his nose was aquiline, and his eye was like that of a lion, charming and very cheerful, having received a moderate education. But he was supremely adorned with self-control concerning the desires of the stomach, by which he escaped many diseases of the body, which was not in a healthy state, threatening ruin and producing very many evils. Galerius Maximian, therefore, having come to Italy, appointed two Caesars, Maximinus his own son over the East, under whom also the paternal forefathers of the great Basil were exiled to remote deserts on account of his persecution, and Severus over Italy. But the soldiers in Rome proclaimed Maxentius, the son of Maximian the

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κεκοσμημένοις ἐχρήσατο, προσκυνεῖσθαί τε ἑαυτὸν παρὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔθος ἐκέ λευσε καὶ θρίαμβον ἐπετέλεσεν. ὠνομάσθη δὲ θρίαμβος ἀπὸ τῶν 1.471 ἐπῶν τῶν εἰς τὸν ∆ιόνυσον· θρίασιν γὰρ τὴν τῶν ποιητῶν μανίαν λέγουσιν. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ θρία, τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς ἀνακειμένης τῷ ∆ιονυσίῳ. τότε καὶ ὁ μέγας Σίλβεστρος τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας ἐκράτει ἐπὶ χρόνους κηʹ.

Κωνσταντίνου δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ Κωνσταντίου ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ Παλαιστίνῃ μετὰ τοῦ Γαλλερίου τυγχάνοντος, ὡς αὐτὸν ὁ Γαλλέ ριος ἑώρα τὰ Χριστιανῶν φρονοῦντα συνέσει τε ψυχῆς καὶ ῥώμῃ σώματος καὶ τῇ περὶ τὴν παίδευσιν εὐφυΐᾳ προκόπτοντα, μαντευ σάμενός τε τοῦτον καταλύτην ἔσεσθαι τῆς τυραννίδος καὶ τῶν δο γμάτων αὐτοῦ, δόλῳ θανατῶσαι τοῦτον ἐσκέψατο. θείᾳ δὲ προ μηθείᾳ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορίζεται καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον πατέρα διασώζεται, πολλὰ σὺν αὐτῷ τῷ σώσαντι εὐχαριστῶν Χριστῷ. Τῷ ιηʹ ἔτει ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ Θεοτέκνῳ γόητι πειθόμενος ὁ Γαλ λέριος διωγμὸν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἤγειρεν. οὗτος ὁ Θεότεκνος ὑποθήκῃ Μαξιμιανοῦ τὰ ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ δῆθεν παρὰ Πιλάτου πρα χθέντα πλασάμενος, ὑπομνήματα πάσης βλασφημίας ἀνάπλεα κατὰ πόλιν καὶ κώμην ἔσταλκε, Μαξιμιανοῦ προστάξαντος τοῖς γραμματοδιδασκάλοις ταῦτα τοὺς παῖδας ἐκδιδάσκειν, ὡς ἂν δια γελῷτο τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς μυστήριον. Τῷ ιθʹ ἔτει πρόσταγμα ἐδόθη βασιλικόν, τὰς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐδαφίζεσθαι καὶ τὰς θείας βίβλους κατακαίεσθαι, καὶ πάντα Χριστιανὸν ἢ θύειν τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἢ ἐν βασάνοις ἀνυποστά τοις ἀποθνήσκειν. 1.472 Τῷ κʹ ἔτει τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ∆ιοκλητιανὸς καὶ Μαξιμια νὸς ὁ Ἑρκούλιος ἐξ ἀπονοίας ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπέθεντο, καταστήσαντες ἀντ' αὐτῶν βασιλεῖς τῆς μὲν ἑῴας Γαλλέριον Μα ξιμιανὸν τὸν ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ γαμβρόν, τῶν ἑσπερίων δὲ Κωνστάν τιον τὸν Ἑρκουλίου γαμβρόν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ∆ιοκλητιανὸς ἰδιωτεύσας ἔτη ιβʹ τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ σαπείσης μετὰ τοῦ φάρυγγος καὶ πλῆ θος σκωλήκων ἀναβρασάσης τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπέρρηξεν, ὁ δὲ Ἑρκούλιος τὴν βασιλείαν ἀναλαβέσθαι βουληθεὶς καὶ μὴ ἐπιτυχὼν ἀπήγξατο. ὁ δὲ Γαλλέριος σκωληκόβρωτος γεγονὼς ἐξέψυξεν. Ὁ δὲ Κωνστάντιος λίαν ἀγαθὸς ὢν καὶ εὐσεβὴς καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ὁμοίως ἐπαίδευσε, καὶ τῷ καθ' ἡμῶν διωγμῷ οὐ δαμῶς ἐκοινώνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν χριστιανίζειν ἀδεῶς καὶ ἀκωλύτως ἐπέτρεπε. τελευτᾷ δὲ ἐν Βρεττανίαις, βασιλεύσας ἔτη δύο. Καῖσαρ δὲ ἦν ἔτη ιγʹ. ὃς ἐγέννησεν ἐξ Ἑλένης τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν μέγαν καὶ ἅγιον, περὶ τὴν τῆς ∆ακίας πόλιν· ὃν καὶ ἀναγορεύει ἀντ' αὐτοῦ βασιλέα ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐπ' ὄψεσι παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, περιόντων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αὐ τοῦ παίδων, Κωνσταντίου φημὶ τοῦ πατρὸς Ἰουλιανοῦ καὶ Γαλ λοῦ τοῦ καὶ ∆αλμάτου· μεθ' ὧν καὶ θυγατέρα εἶχε Κωνσταντίαν τὴν Λικιννίου γαμετήν, ἐκ Θεοδώρας τῆς θυγατρὸς Ἑρκουλίου γεννηθεῖσαν. οὗτος δὲ ὁ Κωνστάντιος ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντί νου πατὴρ θυγατριδοῦς ἦν Κλαυδίου τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἦν δὲ τῇ ἰδέᾳ ὁ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος μεσῆλιξ, εὐρύτερος τοὺς ὤμους καὶ παχὺς τὸν αὐχένα, ὅθεν καὶ Τραχηλᾶν αὐτὸν 1.473 ἐπωνόμαζον, τὴν χροιὰν ἐρυθρός, τὴν τρίχα τῆς κεφαλῆς οὐ δα σεῖαν οὐδὲ οὔλην ἔχων, τὴν δὲ τοῦ γενείου ψιλήν πως καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ φύειν πολλαχοῦ τοῦ προσώπου, τὴν ῥῖνα ἐπίγρυπον, τὸ δὲ ὄμμα παραπλήσιον λέοντι, χαρίεις καὶ φαιδρότατος, παιδείας μετασχὼν μετρίας. τὸ δὲ ἐγκρατεὺς περὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς γα στρὸς εἰς ἄκρον κεκοσμημένος, ἐν τούτῳ τὰς πολλὰς διαφεύγειν τοῦ σώματος νόσους, οὐχ ὑγιῶς αὐτοῦ διακειμένου, ἀπειλοῦντός τε λώβην καὶ φύοντος πλεῖστα μοχθηρά. Γαλλέριος τοίνυν Μαξιμιανὸς ἐπὶ Ἰταλίαν ἐλθὼν ἐχειροτό νησε Καίσαρας δύο, Μαξιμιανὸν μὲν τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ οἱ πρὸς πατρὸς τῷ μεγάλῳ Βασιλείῳ πατέρες διὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ διωγμὸν εἰς ἐρήμους μακρύναντες ἐφυγαδεύθησαν, Σεβῆρον δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν. οἱ δὲ ἐν Ῥώμῃ στρατιῶται ἀνηγόρευσαν Μαξέντιον τὸν υἱὸν Μαξιμιανοῦ τοῦ